


Ark-sassins

by RobynEJeffrey, victorias



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Assassins (game), Canon Compliant, Comedy, Flashbacks, Gen, No Smut, Unity Day (The 100), all strategy, during those six years, just for fun, spacekru, they needed to have some fun up there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-10-14 10:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17506568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobynEJeffrey/pseuds/RobynEJeffrey, https://archiveofourown.org/users/victorias/pseuds/victorias
Summary: Every Unity Day, after the dance, each station would play a game of Assassins (or Ark-sassins, as they called it). Spacekru thought they should keep the tradition going.Raven smiles. “Everyone knows that what happens after the party is the best part of Unity Day.”“As if you ever won a game?” Murphy laughs.Raven reaches across the table to smack him. “As if you ever did?”Harper tries to diffuse the situation. “As if any of us ever won.”“I did.” All eyes turn to Monty.Bellamy’s mouth falls open. “You?”Monty raises an eyebrow. “Don’t act so surprised. I wasn’t alone.” He and Jasper had teamed up every year. They had gotten pretty good.





	1. Happy Unity Day

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how this game passed me by in college but I was reading the second book in the To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy and this game gets played in it. I found it to be such an amazing plot device and it brought in so much suspense, I was totally inspired.
> 
> I try to explain the rules as best as I could but I'll include the game's wikipedia page in the end notes, if you're still not clear. Thanks!

“You wanna hear something crazy?”

“Sure,” Raven says, turning to Bellamy.

“Do you know what day it is?”

Murphy looks around the Mess Hall at everyone else. “Thursday?”

“It’s Unity Day,” Monty smiles, taking another bite of ‘food’.

Bellamy nods.

“What’s that?” Emori asks.

“It was sort of a holiday. It was the day that all of the stations came together to form this giant thing we’re living on,” Raven explained. “I wonder what they would think of it now.”

“Long ago,” Harper begins. “When the Earth was on fire, 12 stations floated through space all alone. Then one day, Mir floated by Shenzhen, and they realized life would be better together.” Harper had once been the chosen kid to recite the story. It just stuck with her for some reason. “The other stations saw this, and they wanted to be together, too. When all the stations were joined, they called themselves-”

“The Ark,” all 5 Skaikru voices said together.

Raven sighs. “It feels like forever ago.”

“It wasn’t, though. Not really,” Monty reminds her, taking a swig of recycled water.

Echo chimes in. “Our first of 5 Unity Days, then. How do we celebrate?”

“There was a party,” beams Harper. “It was one of my favorite days of the year. Every year a different theme.”

Bellamy’s face falls. That may have been Harper’s perfect evening but Bellamy remembers the party that ruined his life.

“Not much of a party with only 7 people,” Bellamy interjects, trying to change the subject.

Raven takes the hint. “Everyone knows that what happens _after_ the party is the best part of Unity Day.”

“As if you ever won a game?” Murphy laughs.

Raven reaches across the table to smack him. “As if you ever did?”

Harper tries to diffuse the situation. “As if any of us ever won.”

“I did.” All eyes turn to Monty.

Bellamy’s mouth falls open. “You?”

Monty raises an eyebrow. “Don’t act so surprised. I wasn’t alone.” He and Jasper had teamed up every year. They had gotten pretty good.

“What are you all talking about?” Echo asks.

“Arksassins,” Raven answers. “Every Unity Day, after the dance, all the school kids would get together to play a game.”

“Why is it called that?” Emori adds.

“I heard that it was a game that used to be played on Earth called Assassins but someone made a dumb joke once and it stuck,” Murphy tells her.

Echo smiles. “Sounds like a game for me. How do you play?”

Everyone begins talking at once, but Harper gets a hold of the attention. “Every station had different rules so Monty would have played with Farm Station and Raven played on Mecha rules but basically, everyone writes down their name and to start, we would each pick a name to find out who your target is.”

“You’re not allowed to tag out anyone but your target and once you tag them out, you get their target. And so on, until you’re the last one standing,” Raven finishes.

“Alright I’m ready to play,” Echo begins to stand up from the table.

“Not so fast,” Murphy pulls her back down. “We need to get some more things straight. Where are the safe zones?”

“The only safe zone is your own quarters,” Bellamy answers.

“Is that how you played?” Monty asks, surprised.

“Yeah, how did you play?”

Monty sighs. “That must’ve been either a very easy or very hard game. We played with bathrooms and Mess Hall safe zones, too.”

“I like that,” Harper chimes in. “Then we don’t have to be paranoid while we’re in the washroom.”

“Alliances are allowed and you tag by tapping your target with both hands,” Raven continues.

Bellamy rests his hand on Emori’s arm. “You only need to use one hand.”

She pulls away. “Why?”

“Yeah, why?” Murphy exclaims. “She doesn’t need special treatment.”

Bellamy puts his hands in the air, “Okay.”

“Let’s begin then,” Echo decides.

“Do we really want to start now?” Monty asks. “These games can last for weeks.”

“Yes, now,” Emori smiles.

Murphy agrees. “Yeah, let’s do it. For old times’ sake.”

“Alright. It’s your funeral,” Monty sighs, getting up to get a pot and a piece of paper from the control room.

“Are those fighting words, Green?” Harper chides.

Monty re-enters. “God, I hope not.”

They all write down their names and shake them up in the pot.

“Who’s picking first?”


	2. Year 1

The names had been drawn.

Bellamy wished it had been as dramatic as it was back when he had played before. He remembered looking down at the name he had chosen, wondering exactly how he was going to complete the goal. He remembered wishing that his sister could’ve played. She was always so competitive.

Every year, he’d head immediately back to their quarters to share who he had picked. He and Octavia would plan for hours how to tag out Darren or Forrest or Calliope. Octavia had only heard stories, but she and Bellamy would strategize into the night if Aurora hadn’t stopped them.

Looking back, the time with Octavia had been his favorite part. Even if he ended up getting tagged out the next day, the most important moments had already happened. Losing didn’t matter.

Octavia always wanted to go to the Unity Day dance. When Bellamy had found out that it would be a masquerade, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. The dance was a selling point for her, of course. But the real reason she chose to leave the room that night was that Bellamy had promised her an actual, real game--a game that she could only play for one night. A game she wouldn’t be able to win, but a game that she’d been fantasizing about since the first Unity Day she could remember.

She never got to play. Their mother’s arrest and Octavia’s incarceration took care of that particular dream.

Bellamy hadn’t played since his last year in school; guards weren’t exactly encouraged to play childish games. Every year, without fail, Bellamy would recall those precious nights he’d spent recalling his adventures to Octavia, planning to one day find a way to allow her to play.

This time, he was going to win. He had faith that he would get the chance to tell O that he finally won a game. And she would tell him that it wasn’t the same, because there were so few people. And he would tell her that Monty had won once, and she would be amazed that she had never known Monty had it in him.

Or maybe he was misremembering who she had become.

 

***

 

The drawing of the names isn’t dramatic like it had once been. There’s no pageantry, barely any anticipation, and there are a few specific new players that don’t quite understand the rules yet.

Once they pick their names, Emori calls out, “I got Harper!”

Murphy grabs it out of her hand, stating, “It’s supposed to be a secret.” And they have to draw again.

Monty puts his hand, still raw from the black rain, on her shoulder and smiles. “It’s okay. I pulled my own name. We would’ve had to reshuffle either way.”

Emori punches Murphy in the arm, anyway.

After everyone gets new names, they all sit down to finish their dinner in the safe zone of the Mess Hall. They’ll all go back to their quarters tonight, and the game will officially start tomorrow.

That was Monty’s new rule. Bellamy figures he probably wants to spend the evening with Harper.

Bellamy waits until he’s safely back in his quarters before he pulls the paper out of his pocket. Under the faded, typed script ( _…desk of… -lonious Jaha,_ it said) sat a scribbled word: _Echo_.

Bellamy stares down at it. _Of all the people to randomly get._ He can choose to see this as a negative: having to pay attention to what she did every day, her movements and routines. Or a positive: taking her out fast, getting to tell O that he never even gave her a chance to win. She would be proud.

There would be no mercy on the Go-Sci ring tomorrow.

 

***

 

After sleeping for a few hours, Bellamy is jarred awake by an insistent knock at the door. He still gets nervous at the sound, after all those years of hiding someone under the floor. It had been so long, but she was all he could think about these days.

He looks at the clock.

00:01AM.

Bellamy pads over to the door, opening it just a hair. At first he doesn’t see anything, and then-

“Hi!” A loud stage whisper comes from the other side, causing him to jump.

“God!” He curses.

“At your service,” Raven says, letting herself in. “Sleeping on the job, Blake?”

Bellamy crosses his arms over his bare chest. Says nothing.

“Oh, relax,” she scolds, pushing his arms down. “I’ve seen you without a shirt on before.”

He frowns. “Don’t remind me. What do you want?”

“Who do you have?” she asks, without preamble.

Bellamy decides to play dumb. “Who do I what? For what?”

“Come on, Bellamy,” Raven sighs. “What name do you have?”

He scrubs his hands over his face, frustrated. “Raven, the game doesn’t start until tomorrow.”

“Wrong,” Raven smiles, pointing to the clock. “It started 3 minutes ago. What name do you have?”

“I have Echo. Who do you have?”

“You,” Raven says, deadpan. It’s her turn to cross her arms, completing the movement with a head tilt that makes her ponytail bob.

Bellamy jumps back a little. He puts his hands up almost reflexively. “What?! Stay away from me.”

She rolls her eyes. “Stop it. These are your quarters, remember? Safe zone. I’m the one who’d be in trouble, if you had _my_ name.”

“I suppose,” he concedes.

They look at each other; Bellamy trying to detect an ulterior motive, seeing the gears turning in her head.

“Echo, huh?” Raven says, slyly. “I heard her talking to Emori after dinner. She thinks the game starts after breakfast.”

Bellamy shrugs. “Why should I care?”

“Oh, come on. You’ve been out of the game too long.” Raven’s incredulous. “She’s probably dead asleep right now. Can you believe?”

Remembering where he was 5 minutes ago, Bellamy could, in fact, believe. “So, what?”

She puts her hands to her head. “So let’s go lure her out of her room right now, Blake! She needs to see the professionals work before she can win herself. She’s a spy, man. Let’s get rid of her!”

Bellamy shakes his head. “I see what you’re doing.”

Raven immediately puts her hands up, innocent.

“You almost got me.” He grins and points a finger at her, shaking it playfully.

“What are you talking about?” Raven knows she’s been caught.

Bellamy points to the door. “You’re not getting me out of that door, Reyes! You’re not tagging me in the first 10 minutes of this game. That’s shameful.”

She purses her lips. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

Before she hops back down the hall, she turns back. “That thing about breakfast, though. That was true. You can take advantage of that.”

She cranes her neck around, checking the hallway for any potential attackers, and darts out into the unsafe zone.

“Thanks,” Bellamy calls back.

Raven smiles. “Watch your back, Bellamy.”

 

***

 

Echo’s internal clock has been slightly off ever since the radiation had permeated Earth’s air; the sun had begun rising later in the day even at the height of the Spring solstice. She’d supposed at the time that it had been the Earth that had been running late--much like those lost days when she would be forced to follow the spontaneous whims of Roan, the planet began to set its own schedule.

Space was and is a shock. Culturally? For sure. Physically? Of course. But mentally…that’s been the hardest part to get used to.

Now, unable to awaken with the rise of the sun, she’s had to adapt to not listening to her internal clock anymore.

Fortunately, having an alarm is a luxury she could take advantage of. Unfortunately, she can’t figure out how to change the tone it makes and is reminded of the wail of the conclave’s siren every morning. She gets jolted away by a loud, blaring beeping, triggering her into a war-like mindset.

She still doesn’t understand the advanced technology that Emori has taken to so easily. She also can’t bear asking anyone for help.

So at 7:30AM every single day, her mind takes her back to the ground, readying her for battle. She’d had to put the bow and arrow from the armoury back in storage so she would stop grabbing it within the first 5 seconds of waking.

She has to remind herself to take 6 second breaths in, 7 second breaths out until her brain relaxes back into a normal state. She’s not in danger anymore. She has a home that doesn’t have threats behind every door.

But today is different. The war is beginning again. She’s back in her element, and she’s ready to win.

She’s not 10 seconds out the door, heading for the Mess for yet another meal of extremely appetizing algae, when she feels 2 rough hands pushing her from behind.

Stumbling, she hears a gruff voice yelling back at her from down the hall, “Who do you have?”

“What?” She says, standing back up.

“I just tagged you, Azgeda,” Bellamy shouts, now 20 feet away, looking around, paranoid. “What name did you have?”

Echo’s mouth drops open. “The game starts after breakfast!”

Bellamy shrugs. “Who said that?”

She thinks for a moment. She had just assumed. “I guess no one, but-“

“But what name do you have?” Bellamy interjects.

She’s livid. The first time Bellamy’s spoken to her in weeks, and it’s under these circumstances?

The man himself rolls his eyes, now on the complete other side of the hall. He has to shout to be heard.

“Listen, I hate to interrupt the mental journey you’re going on right now, but who’s my next target, Echo?”

Echo, still in disbelief, just mumbles, “Murphy.”

“WHAT!?”

“MURPHY!”

“What!?” Murphy pops his head into the hallway, midway between the 2 of them.

Bellamy doesn’t give Echo a chance to answer, though, and simply starts running full speed towards Murphy, who bolts.

Echo is left feeling stupid. Disgraced. Now, her walk down to the Mess is going to be a walk of shame.

Everyone’s beaten her to the Mess by the time she drags her feet into the room.

After boasting so much, after reminding everyone of her prowess as an assassin herself, she had been humiliated. And everyone else was about to know.

Bellamy and Murphy both smirk at her as she sits down.

Harper smiles comfortingly in her direction.

Echo, however, sees it as condescension and barks out, “I didn’t understand the rules, okay?”

“It’s alright,” Harper tells her, “it’s your first game. You’ll have more opportunities to win.”

“I didn’t want to win,” Echo says, seething. “I just wanted to play.”

“You wanted to win,” Murphy drawls. “Don’t lie.”

“Shut up, cockroach,” Echo sneers.

 

***

 

Murphy can’t fit one more spoonful of delicious algae into his stomach. Or, that’s what he tells Monty, at least.

With Echo already down for the count, there are 6 remaining players, including him.

He knows that Echo had his name, and Bellamy now holds it, judging by the kerfuffle in the hallway. He knows Emori holds Raven’s name, and he himself has Monty.

Murphy was planning on getting Monty out just as quickly as Bellamy had taken Echo out, but he soon learned that Green’s Green Goop is prepared hours in advance every day. No wonder the man goes to bed so early.

So, Murphy only knows 3 out of the 6 names--which is pretty good, ratio-wise, and knowing who has your own name is half of the battle. Murphy will just have to avoid Bellamy for the rest of time. Not a problem.

Once everyone puts their dishes away, they all simply stand in the Mess Hall, unmoving. Once they leave the room, the game is really and truly on.

The only one who doesn’t seem to care is Monty, who starts washing the bowls and spoons without a care in the world.

After maybe a minute, Murphy notices Echo start to leave, obviously knowing she has no stake in this game.

Echo’s exit breaks the spell. They are all being thawed out from frozen.

Murphy makes a run for the door, but Bellamy gets to it first. He plants himself outside and trains a watchful eye on both Murphy and Raven.

Murphy deduces that Raven probably has Bellamy’s name (4 out of 6, now), and starts to think that maybe standing in between them is the worst place he could possibly be.

But Murphy’s still in the Mess. He’s still in the safe zone, and unless Bellamy’s planning on waiting out there all day, Murphy will be untouchable.

“No cornering!” Monty shouts from the kitchen. He hasn’t even looked up from the damn dishes.

“Says who?” Bellamy grins.

“Monty’s the only one with an Arksassin crown, so he’s the official rulebook,” Harper calls, leaning on the door frame to the kitchen beside Monty.

Raven whips around to face them, her ponytail smacking Murphy across the face. “Says who?” Murphy wasn’t that upset. It smelled like strawberries.

“Says me,” Monty calls back. “The official rulebook.”

Murphy looks at Bellamy, still just outside the safe zone. “No cornering.”

“I heard him,” Bellamy says, annoyed.

“You’re not gonna get me today, Blake,” Murphy taunts. “I’m gonna win this whole thing. I’m already inside your mind. I’ve got this whole game on lockdown.”

They’re all so predictable. It’s almost sad, in a way. If he had the capacity for it, Murphy might even pity them.

What he didn’t foresee, though, was Raven pushing him from behind, straight into Bellamy, who then pushed him back, with both hands, into Raven again.

“Hey, Murphy.” Bellamy smiles wide. “Tag.”

“I will slap that grin right off your face,” Murphy says, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “Hey, Rulebook? Can I get a ruling?”

Monty looks up from dishes. “No pushing.”

Murphy’s hand shoots up, as if he was answering a question in class. “I got pushed!”

“But,” Monty says, drying off his hands. “You _did_ get tagged outside of a safe zone.”

“With both hands!” Bellamy reminds him.

Murphy’s face falls. “But no pushing!”

“You were being annoying, though,” Harper says, thoughtfully. Murphy decides he has never actually liked Harper.

“No trash talk is not one of the rules,” Murphy cries. Maybe he’s giving away that he memorized the rules, but these circumstances are now _dire._

Emori puts her hand to her head, having been silently listening. “You guys are just making up rules now.”

“Yeah!” Murphy swings his arm wide, indicating his confused girlfriend. “You can’t go making up rules during her first year! What kind of people are you?”

“Well, criminals, mostly.” Bellamy shrugs. “Statistically speaking.”

“If you’re done with your banter, I could use a ruling, Rulebook.” Raven’s impatience is more infuriating than usual. Then again, everyone is more infuriating than usual. Except Emori. She’s alright.

Monty thinks for a moment, and then reminds Murphy how much they butt heads by declaring, “Murphy’s out!”

Everyone cheers but Murphy, who has started brainstorming ways to make Monty miserable.

Stepping back into the safe zone, Bellamy bumps Murphy’s arm with his. “Who’s next?”

“Monty,” Murphy mutters.

Raven laughs loudly. “You couldn’t get out Monty? He doesn’t even want to play!”

“He doesn’t leave the safe zones!” Murphy bursts out. “How am I supposed to tag him when he leaves his quarters at like 5AM?”

“You wake up at 4AM, amateur,” Raven says, still laughing.

Bellamy walks past Raven, bumping her. “Stop helping me, Reyes. You’re freaking me out.”

Raven follows after him. “No pushing!”

 

***

 

The rest of that day is uneventful; after losing 2 players that morning, everyone spends the remaining hours in their quarters, so filled with paranoia that they can hardly leave for dinner.

Emori wonders if they’re even playing the game correctly.

At dinner, Monty chides them all, saying that he doesn’t want to play for that exact reason. Of course, that doesn’t stop everyone from flying back to their rooms as quickly as possible.

In the morning, John refuses to let Emori leave for breakfast, for fear she’ll be tagged. After all, he doesn’t know who holds her name.

Emori’s stomach growls its defiance loudly.

“John, I’ll be careful.”

“Emori, you don’t understand. I know these people. They will do anything to win.” John gets up from the bed to get closer. She’s sitting at the desk and he kneels down, looking up at her. “This isn’t just _your_ game on the line. We’re a unit. You have to avenge me.” He’s starting to look like a real lunatic. “We need to get back at Raven and Bellamy. You already have Raven’s name and Raven has Bellamy’s name so if you take out Raven, great. Then, you take out Bellamy, even better. Do you see what I’m saying?”

Emori looks into his crazed eyes. “I guess.”

“Take this seriously,” John pleads. “This is important. I know who you, Raven and Bellamy have, but I don’t know about Monty and Harper. One of them has to have your name. As long as they aren’t anywhere near you, you can do whatever you want. I’ll help you.”

At this point, Emori’s thinking she’ll take anyone’s help _besides_ John Murphy. And she’s in luck.

Hearing a knock at the door, John springs up from his kneeling position, and cracks open the door a small sliver.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Echo’s voice comes from the other side.

John’s shoulders tense. “What do you want?”

Emori can hear Echo’s annoyance from there. “I want Emori.”

“Get in line.”

Echo tries to push open the door. “Get out of the way, Murphy.”

“John, please,” Emori begs, rolling her eyes.

“Wait!” Everyone stops, and then John asks, “Which name do you have?” He points a finger out the doorway. “You can’t lie! That’s one of the rules!”

Echo’s eyes narrow. “Is that a joke?”

“Oh, right,” John says, chuckling.

“I’m not the only one out on day 1.” Echo hands Emori a bowl, smirking back at him. “I brought you breakfast.”

“Thanks, Echo,” Emori says, gratefully.

“Yes, thank you.” John holds his hands out.

Echo looks at his hands and back up at his face. “I didn’t bring any for _you_.”

John’s hands drop to his side. “Why not?”

“You’re out,” Echo reminds him. “You can go to the Mess yourself.”

John pouts. He’s such a baby sometimes.

“Bye,” Echo says, pushing him out the door; then, turning back to Emori, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Emori replied, sitting up straighter.

One of her favorite new pastimes has been getting to know Echo. They’ve become confidants in a way that she and John never were and never would be. Although they’re both grounders, the way they were raised was completely different. The others think of them as the same, but they both know there’s a lot they can learn from each other.

When you go through something this amazing together, you can’t really help but become friends.

“So I know I’m out,” Echo sighs. “But if I help you win, it’ll be like I won, too, right?”

Emori laughs. “John feels the exact same way.”

“Sure. But who would be a better ally, really?”

Emori does some faux thinking. “Probably you.”

Echo rolls her eyes, with a smile. “Probably. I like to think so. So what do we know?”

“Well, you have to remember, Echo. This is my first time playing, too. I was planning on laying low this round and then trying for the crown next year,” Emori explains. “But it seems that neither you nor John is going to let that happen.”

“Evidently not,” Echo agrees.

 

***

 

After going over all that Emori had learned from Murphy, the 2 of them decide to sneak out before he returns.

The first target is Raven. Entering the Control Room, Echo realizes they don’t have as much of a plan as she was hoping.

Echo grabs Emori’s arm, pulling her back outside, and around the nearest corner.

“Ouch!”

“What time does Raven usually get here?”

Emori mimics Echo’s hushed tone. “I don’t know.”

“We can’t just take a stab in the dark here,” Echo says. “I prefer all of my stabs to be perfectly aimed and with enthusiasm.”

Emori laughs, quietly. “Noted.”

“So what should we do?” Echo asks, smiling.

Emori pops her head around the corner, making sure the coast is still clear. “I say we stake out here in shifts, figure out Raven’s schedule, and try tomorrow. Hopefully, everyone will be a little less on edge.”

Echo nods. “You go back to your room. _I’ll_ stake out here. I can’t be tagged. You figure out what to do once we know some more.”

“Agreed.”

They part ways.

 

***

 

When Murphy’s slimy head pokes through the doorway the next morning, Echo just barges right past him.

She sits down next to Emori immediately, giving Murphy hardly any notice at all.

“Raven goes to the Control Room about an hour after breakfast,” Echo explains. “She stays there until lunch. After lunch, she comes back and stays until supper. Really, it seems like all she does is sit in that room.”

“I don’t know why,” Murphy drawls. “She knows we have 5 more years to wait before there’s anything to do.”

Echo glares at him.

Murphy begins to pout again. “Can I be part of your alliance, please?”

Echo looks back to Emori. She shrugs.

“He wants to be included,” Emori explains. “Bellamy won’t let him join his team.”

Echo turns back to Murphy and rolls her eyes. “What sort of skills do you offer the group?”

His eyes light up. “Lots of things.” He starts counting on his fingers. “I am very observant, I know my way around this ship, including the secret passageways, I have spent more time with any and all targets, and most importantly, I have motivation.”

Echo turns back to Emori again, impressed. “Points have been made and considered,” Echo concedes. “You’re in.”

Murphy pretends to be a tough guy. He doesn’t need anyone. He’s never needed anyone in his entire life. He popped out of the womb an independent and capable infant. In reality, the poor idiot just wants to be included. Echo knows that feeling. She can see it in his eyes.

She can see it as he silently celebrates being a part of a real team. It’s hard not to smile.

“Murphy,” Echo commands. “Your first assignment.”

Murphy snaps into a salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Get Raven out into the hallway during the afternoon so Emori can come up from behind and tag her out. You’re the bait on the end of the ice fishing line,” Echo orders.

Emori raises her larger hand. “Commander Echo?”

“Yes, soldier?” Echo says, spinning around to face Emori.

“Won’t Raven suspect something? John says that she was complaining at breakfast that nothing was happening in the game.”

Echo nods. “Good point. Any suggestions?”

Murphy’s got something. “The Control Room isn’t a safe zone. There’s no way she’ll follow me anywhere. I’d be terrible bait. But what stops Emori from going inside?”

Echo can’t believe she hadn’t thought of that before. They don’t need a fishing hook. They need another fish.

 

***

 

Raven spends most of her lunches staring at Bellamy; half to psych him out (which is absolutely working), but the other half trying to figure out a plan to eliminate him.

She found that he usually just goes back to his room after every meal to sulk about whatever sad thing he can think of that day.

It’s been a few weeks since they landed back on the Ark and Raven has very quickly realized that any moping is completely pointless. There’s nothing they can do for 5 years. Is what happened sad? Obviously. Does she feel bad to have left Clarke and everyone in the bunker behind? Of course. But there’s nothing to be done.

Ultimately, what makes Raven so upset is that Bellamy’s wallowing is not at all within the spirit of the game. Sure, you’re supposed to make it hard to tag you, but you’re not supposed to make it impossible. That’s no fun.

For example, Emori doesn’t even come to meals anymore because Murphy won’t let her. Raven knows that Emori would never do that herself and Murphy, of all people, should understand what the essence of Arksassins really is.

You’d never catch Raven being told what to do by a man.

Bellamy’s lucky, really. He knows who has his name. Maybe, just maybe, she might regret telling him so quickly.

Raven, however, knows Bellamy has Monty, but that’s about it. She doesn’t know who to look out for and she envies whoever Monty’s target is. He isn’t even trying.

This afternoon, Raven decides that instead of going straight back to the Control Room, she would try (once again) to get rid of Bellamy. Unfortunately, he pays far too much attention to her every move, and it’s hard to get a leg up on him, especially with the one she has. Maybe she’ll try and lure him out of his room tonight.

Heading back to her usual hang out, she’s on high alert. She jumps a little, seeing someone out of the corner of her eye. It’s only Echo, though, so she keeps moving.

Entering the room, her ears catch an unusual sound. There are little whispering sounds coming from one of the corners, followed by static. Raven has learned to acclimatize to the mechanical sounds of the ship again, but this is different.

She slowly approaches the corner and the dark shadow slowly retreats to reveal a crouching John Murphy.

He stands. “Hello.”

“Hi?”

“What’s up?”

“What’s up with _you_?”

“Ooh. I asked you first.” Murphy smirks.

Raven puts her hands on her hips. “I’m here to do some fancy smart people stuff. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Right.”

“And you?”

“What?”

“What are you here to do?”

“I…” Murphy begins, “…was looking for something.”

“Okay,” Raven says, making direct eye contact. “What?”

“What?”

“What are you looking for?”

Murphy looks down at his feet. “Doesn’t matter. Didn’t find it. Bye.” He scurries out the door.

 

***

 

Maybe an hour later, Raven’s deep inside the Ark’s school records. She has to remember to tell Emori all about Murphy’s A+ in Music History.

And speak of the devil, into the room she comes.

“Hey,” Raven says, looking over her shoulder. “You have to see this.”

Emori slowly walks over to where Raven’s sitting, looking up at the screens.

“He wasn’t the perfect student,” Raven laughs, gesturing up to Murphy’s report cards. “But he did know how to play the trombone.”

Still making her way across the room, Emori answers, “What’s a trombone?”

Raven’s stumped; how to explain a trombone to someone who’s never seen one? What a gift this day is.

She pulls up a new window. “I can’t wait to decrypt this code so I can show you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s this old timey website,” Raven explains. “We always heard so much about it but the Chancellors always thought it was too powerful to give to the masses. It had too much information. I want it, though. I’m gonna get it. Imagine the possibilities.”

Emori finally gets over to Raven. “What’s it called?” She places 2 hands on Raven’s shoulders.

“YouTube,” Raven answers.

Wait.

No.

Raven turns around, looking at Emori. “Did you…?”

“I’m sorry,” Emori says, sitting down beside her. She _sounds_ remorseful, but she’s also already preoccupied with looking around at the Control Room with total awe.

“I can’t believe it,” Raven cries, putting her head in her hands.

 

***

 

Murphy’s room has somehow, inexplicably become the clubhouse. He’d be annoyed if he wasn’t so stoked for a win.

(When Raven asked to help them with the whole Bellamy thing, Murphy noticed that Echo had conveniently forgotten to ask Raven about what _she_ brought to the group.

Whatever. Murphy doesn’t care. It was just a glaring bias, that’s all. Doesn’t matter. It’s fine. Moving on.)

There aren’t a lot of comfortable rooms available on the Ring. Back when the Ark was more of an Ark and not just a giant, floating circle, the rooms were meant mostly for any government officials needing to stay close to the Control Room, being on call through the night.

They all have very limited resources; a bed, a desk with a lamp, some drawers. Bathrooms are communal, and the kitchen is attached to the Mess, which clearly was never really meant to be a cafeteria. Murphy and Emori, along with Monty and Harper, have the largest rooms, considering there are 2 people staying there--but still, it’s all very basic, and it kind of really sucks. But Murphy knows that, ultimately, it’s still better than being dead.

(Also, to be clear, Echo hadn’t even asked the rest of the group if they _wanted_ Raven to join their alliance. But like before, water under the bridge. It’s fine.

It’s fine.)

Raven tells the group everything that she knows. Bellamy hardly ever leaves his room, save for meals and bathroom breaks, of course. Raven calls him a “toddler in mourning,” which Murphy finds funny.

“So, we hang out around his room until he leaves then,” Echo suggests.

Raven has an idea. “He doesn’t know that I’ve been tagged. He thinks I still have his name.”

“We can definitely use that,” Emori notes.

There’s a timid knock at the door. Murphy immediately starts counting all of the people in the room.

“One second!” Emori shouts from the bed, starting to get up.

Murphy stops her with his arm. “She can’t go! She could get tagged!”

Raven whispers, “Well, neither can Echo or I! It’ll be suspicious! What if it’s Bellamy?”

“That leaves you, John,” Emori nudges.

“When did I become the damn doorman?” He grumbles, heading over reluctantly.

He opens the door slightly. It’s Harper.

“Hey,” she says, brightly.

“Hi,” he answers.

“Can I come in?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m…” Murphy searches. “…naked.”

Murphy hears quiet laughter from inside of the room.

Harper’s not buying it. “Listen, I know you’re teamed up with Echo and I want in.”

“Why?” Echo pokes her head out.

Harper sighs. “It’s lonely. I’ve been all by myself. Monty’s always making algae.”

Murphy eyes her suspiciously. “Whose name do you have?”

Harper hesitates. “Bellamy!”

“ _WE_ HAVE BELLAMY!” Murphy shouts, slamming the door in her face.

Harper knocks again, hollering from the hallway, “Aww, come on! I’m bad at this!”

Murphy calls back. “You’re not allowed to lie about who you have, McIntyre!”

“Whatever!” They hear Harper leaving.

“Now we know who has _your_ name, Emori,” Raven concludes.

“A success then,” Echo says.  


***

 

Emori looks around before entering the room next door to Bellamy’s. The group has decided to camp out in the small space while they choose which plan they want to implement.

Raven’s plan includes hacking into the clock system and empty promises.

Echo’s plan includes subtle distractions and tackling from behind (not technically in violation of the No Pushing law).

Murphy’s plan includes a fake mustache, a trip wire and Bellamy landing face-first into a pie.

“Murphy…” Raven puts her hands to her face. “We eat algae. There is no pie.”

Murphy points a finger at her. “You’re not wrong.”

As they quietly argue each of their plans, Emori hears rustling from next door.

“Guys,” she whispers.

They’re not listening.

A little louder, then. “Guys!”

Still nothing.

Bellamy has now left his room and is walking down the hallway.

Her “teammates” are still negotiating like a member of _Trishanakru_ after a discount at the Polis market.

Emori makes a split second decision.

She exits the room, closing the door quietly, so Bellamy won’t know she’s just come from there.

“Bellamy,” she calls down the hall.

Emori can hear all conversation inside the room stop, as they listen.

Bellamy turns around. “Hey, Emori. Murphy finally let you leave the cage?”

“Yeah, finally,” Emori chuckles, playing along. “Are you headed to supper?”

Bellamy nods. “You coming?”

Emori nods back, catching up with him.

“How have you been feeling?”

“Okay,” Emori sighs.

Bellamy smiles. “It’s a lot to get used to. I’m still trying to get back into the hang of things, too.”

They were almost to the Mess, now. If they cross that threshold, she will have missed her opportunity.

“Um, hey, so…” Emori stutters. “I know you’re missing your sister.”

Bellamy tenses up.

“I’m missing my brother, too.”

He stops. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“I did. His name was Otan.”

“Was?”

“He left me,” Emori explains. “We were always a team. He was my best friend. My only friend. Then he got some crazy ideas in his head and he ditched me.”

“I can understand that,” Bellamy sighs.

“I didn’t know what happened to him until I got to the City of Light.” She looks at the ground.

Bellamy stays silent.

She looks up. “He died.”

It takes a moment before Bellamy answers. “I’m sorry.”

Emori shrugs. “It’s okay.”

“It sounds like we’re both out siblings,” he says. “I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine.”

“Deal.”

They both sit in the moment. Emori remembers what she’s there to do. It doesn’t feel right anymore. There are so many people riding on this, when really, it’s _her_ game.

Emori sighs. “Can I get a piggy back ride to the Mess, then?” She almost wishes he’d say no.

He agrees, smiling wide, which makes tagging him out even harder.

What if he thinks she was lying? What if he doesn’t want to be her friend anymore?

As she jumps on, guilt washes over her. And when they get to the Mess, everyone is waiting for them.

John starts a standing ovation. “That’s my girl!”

Monty looks up and declares, “Bellamy’s out!”

“No he isn’t,” Emori says, still on his back. She holds out her larger hand. “I’m only using one hand.”

The whole room goes still.

She hops down.

Bellamy looks at her, confused. “What’s happening?”

“Emori took me out today,” Raven explains. “She has your name.”

“But she only used one hand…” Harper trails off, glancing at Monty for a ruling.

“Bellamy’s back in then? I guess?” Monty asks.

“No,” Bellamy says. All eyes go to him. “I’m out.”

Everyone’s puzzled, especially Emori.

“Didn’t I say a few days ago? _You_ only have to use one hand.”

They’re all holding their breath.

Bellamy continues, “I always said I’d help my sister win this game one day.” He shrugs. “Guess that day is today.”

Everyone turns to Monty. Everyone but Emori. She’s still looking at Bellamy, tears in her eyes.

Coming to space, Emori knew she’d stay close to Murphy. She knew she and Echo could be friends. But Emori hadn’t anticipated just how many family members she had gained by choosing adversaries over Armageddon.

 

***

 

“Monty,” Harper whispers, nudging him.

“Mmm?” He mumbles back.

She keeps nudging, “I think someone’s outside.”

Monty tries to sit up. “Outside?”

She nods.

He looks out the window and falls back down onto the bed. “Outside is space, Harper. Go back to sleep.”

Harper knows that there are exactly 7 people on the entire ship. She knows that she can trust every single one of those people. But that doesn’t stop her from being scared at any and all noise.

She pads over to the door, gathering her courage.

On the other side, slightly down the hall, is Emori.

“Hello,” Harper whispers.

“Hi.”

“What are you doing?”

“Staking out Monty.”

“Gotcha.”

“I seem to have forgotten that you also live here.”

“Right.”

“Which isn’t great for me.”

“Maybe not.”

“Alright, I’m gonna go, then.”

“Cool. See you later.”

“Hey, wait.” Harper stops her. “Where’s Murphy?”

“Oh,” Emori begins. “I told him that I needed to do at least one tag by myself.”

“Right,” Harper says. “Do you want to come in?”

“No thanks,” Emori chuckles. “I know how to recognize a trap.”

Harper is bad at this.

 

***

 

At 5:30AM, Monty starts making his way down to the Mess. At this point in the game, when it gets down to the final people? _That_ is when you need to be the most paranoid. It’s when people take the most risks and plan the most elaborate tags.

Monty isn’t up for playing. He had won once and he doesn’t want to jinx it.

At the time, it hadn’t felt like he’d won. Jasper had pulled his name the first night. Jasper, by virtue of being so good at the game himself, made sure that Monty got down to the final 2. And then he’d given Monty his game.

When Monty had pulled Harper a few days ago, it felt like a sign.

History is meant to repeat itself. Jasper is there with them, playing his favorite game.

He knows that if he can manage to go the whole game without being tagged, he can hand the crown to Harper.

It’s been a lonely few days, though: having to avoid everyone, not being able to touch his girlfriend outside of safe zones, spending all day making algae. (He would’ve spent all day making algae anyway, to be honest.)

Now that it’s down to just the two of them and Emori, Harper has finally put together that he’s going to give it away.

She was upset at first, but eventually came around, knowing how poorly she did the first time around.

 

***

 

Harper thought that after literally _enlisting_ _in a militia_ , her skills might have gone up--but alas.

Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime.

The problem is, she needs to get out Emori for everything to slide into place. No one can help her with that.

She’s washing her hands in the latrine when her target walks right through the door.

Emori does a double take, dodging away from Harper.

“Relax,” Harper says. “Safe zone.”

Emori exhales. “This game is taking everything out of me.”

“Me too,” Harper answers. “Hey, listen.”

“Yeah?”

“So Monty has my name,” Harper confesses.

Emori nods. “Yeah, we figured.”

“He’s had it this whole time. And he’s going to let me win…if I can take you out first,” she explains, sheepishly. “Listen, I’m not good that this. I’ve never been good at this. I _want_ to be good at this.” Harper starts to laugh. “But I am _not_.”

Harper turns her eyes from Emori and looks instead at the other girl’s reflection.

“I want to win fair and square,” Harper continues. “But I’m never going to beat you, especially with everyone else on your side. You’re too good at this, and it’s only your first time. You could definitely win…next year.” She looks back to the real Emori. “I know that after everything, you want to win just as much as me. But I wonder if you’d consider letting me win if I promise to _never_ take you out again?”

“You’d promise that?”

“I would,” Harper affirms. “I totally would. What do you say?”

“I’ll let you win, Harper.”

Harper’s eyes go wide. “Really?”

“Under a few conditions.”

“Anything!”

“You can’t tell John,” Emori begins.

“Not a problem.”

“Actually, don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t.”

“And you said you’d never tag me out? For the next 4 years?”

“You heard right!”

“You promise?”

Harper nods enthusiastically.

“I know you said that you wanted to win fair and square,” Emori explains. “And this might not feel like fair and square right now. But this type of strategy works just as well as all the deception and entrapment that’s been going on. You won fair and square in my book.”

Harper feels tears well up in her eyes. She doesn’t feel the need to hide them from Emori, though.

 

***

 

When Harper enters the Mess Hall, Monty knows that something has changed. He hasn’t seen her smile this big in what feels like forever.

Emori follows Harper in, apologizing to everyone else. She tells everyone that Harper came up from behind her and she just didn’t see. “Fair and square,” Emori says.

Harper sits to Monty’s right, like always, and gives him a kiss.

It’s the calmest meal they’ve had so far.

Everyone lingers around while he does all the washing (without their help, naturally), their curiosity almost painfully obvious. He tries not to roll his eyes.

“Mr. Green,” Harper sighs, “I believe you’re my new target.”

“We’re at a standstill, Ms. McIntyre.”

“Skip the flirting,” calls out Murphy. “Get to the point!”

They both take a step out of the Mess, into international waters, and Harper slowly puts her arms around Monty, pulling him into a hug.

Monty makes sure to wait a few seconds before embracing her back, so no one can deny that Harper has won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my roommate and best friend, Brittany, for helping me with this. It's probably the longest thing I've ever written (usually short films) and I'm super proud of it. Brit was my editor and helped come up with a lot of the plot points. I thank her and also the lovely Sam for providing her opinion. Thanks for reading! I've got lots of ideas and can't wait to write Year 2! Who do you think will win?

**Author's Note:**

> If you're still not sure you understand the rules, here's the Assassins wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin_(game)


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